University of Sydney stands by media lecturer following Bill Leak attack

A lecturer provided students with advice on covering their tracks if planning a suicide and criticised late cartoonist Bill Leak.

University of Sydney's Dr Fiona Martin.

The University of Sydney is standing by a media studies lecturer who provided students with bizarre advice on covering their digital tracks if planning a suicide and criticised the work of late cartoonist Bill Leak as “vile”.

Dr Fiona Martin advocated web tools that did not store search data during an internet transformation class for first-year media students, according to a report in today’s The Daily Telegraph.

“If you’re planning to commit suicide or murder one of your lecturers, I really recommend looking (at them),” Dr Martin is reported to have said.

In another class, the same lecturer also ­criticised the work of Bill Leak, who worked for The Australian, before saying “may he rest not in peace”.

A spokeswoman for the university said she was unable to comment on “specific incidents that haven’t been the subject of a formal complaint”.

“But we are strongly committed to academic freedom and free speech,” she said.

“As a university, we encourage freedom of expression and robust debate of a wide range of issues, conducted with mutual respect.

“We expect our staff, students and affiliates to adhere to the codes of conduct when engaging in these debates.”

In a lecture on search ­engines and internet privacy conducted yesterday, Dr Martin, a co-­author and editor of The Value of Public Service Media, reportedly made flippant remarks about suicide and murder while warning students about data collection.

“I think it’s important to start asking what you want collected about your daily routines,” the former ABC journalist said.

Bill Leak.

“I personally would start using alternative search engines if you are concerned about the sort of ­activity, say the political ­activities you are ­involved in.

“Use something like Duck Duck Go and Findx which are privacy oriented search eng­ines that don’t store your search data.”

In a separate class she spoke about how the internet had opened the way for activism, showing Leak’s cartoon about an indigenous ­father who did not know his son’s name, which was published in 2016 in the wake of concerns about juvenile crime in the Northern Territory.

“This vile cartoon here by Bill Leak — may he rest not in peace … That to me kind of ­encapsulates the possibilities of counter speech on the internet,” Dr Martin said.

The Australian’s editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker described the comment as “appalling” and “deeply disrespectful of a man who was a giant of cartooning and portraiture in this country”.

“Bill Leak was a great contributor to Australian culture, journalism and public debate. He

lived by the courage of his convictions and this verbal attack on his work is deeply offensive to his family, his former colleagues and the millions of people across Australia who valued his work.”

The Australian has contacted Dr Martin for comment.

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